MIXED PRESCRIPTION

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india today digital

January 15, 1996

ISSUE DATE: January 15, 1996

UPDATED: January 15, 1996 00:00 IST

In a country where quacks flourish and even drugs with potentially adverse effects are available without prescription, bringing doctors within the ambit of the Consumer Protection Act ("Holding them to Account", December 15) will benefit only a few, and is an unrealistic prescription for the ills plaguing the medical profession.

New Delhi ANILSHUKLA

The latest ruling of the Supreme Court will be welcomed by people who at some time or the other have been at the receiving end of the callous attitude of doctors. With the recourse of prosecution, and speedy justice now available to them, patients can no longer be taken for granted by doctors.

Madras MANINATRAJAN

Society will definitely benefit from doctors coming under the purview of consumer courts. It will go a long way in obliterating the wrong notion that they are veritable gods.

Allahabad ABHISHEKVERMA

THACKERAY'S MALICE

Bal Thackeray, who has all of a sudden turned agnostic, cannot be a true well-wisher of the Hindus ("Yes, I'm the remote control", December 15). His sustained crusade to throw out the Bangladeshis and the Hong Kong-based Sindhis from Bombay is dictated by pure malice. Has he forgotten that there are lakhs of Marathis living in other parts of the country? Such uncalled for statements can sunder the nation apart.

New Delhi RAJESHWADHWANI

HYPOCRITICAL POSTURING

It is shameful to first invite foreign investment and then pick out the flimsiest of reasons to castigate them ("Ideological Posturings", December 15). In a country plagued by flies, a few of them in the KFC kitchen was hardly reason enough for closing down the outlet in New Delhi.

Politicians in our country should clean themselves before trying to cleanse others. Hypocrisy is the sole word to define all this.

Madras VIVEKSIVARA

There is nothing wrong with the BJP leaders using mobile telephones. Technology is created to facilitate work and increase efficiency. People involved in national affairs need mobile phones just as much as-if not more than-corporate executives, who are the average users of the device.

New Delhi JUJHARSINGH

QUESTION OF POLITICS

The closure of the KFC outlets ("The Pot and the Kettle", December 15) in Bangalore and New Delhi was not merely an issue of hygiene but was a product of politics. But then didn't the Americans recently stall the export of rayon skirts from this country? We are only paying them back in the same coin.

New Delhi RASHMIBHATIA

RECKLESS CROSSING

Reckless driving does cause many deaths ("Crack Down Harder", December 15), but pedestrians who blatantly disregard traf-fic regulations while crossing the road are also at fault. The public is always ready to belabour the hapless motorist, even when he is innocent. Your editorial seems to be encouraging such an attitude.

Muzaffarpur S. SHANKER

BOLD INITIATIVE

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge ("Fight to the Finish", December 15) deserves accolades for the bold initiative she has taken to eradicate terrorism in her country. India should follow suit and take similar action in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chandigarh UJAGARSINGH

Kumaratunge deserves kudos for her handling of the L T T E. The Tigers spurned every offer of peace from her, and that is why she had no option but to launch an all-out offensive against them.

Alappuzha S. R. PRABHU

KEEP YOUR WORD

Even though Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao voiced the sentiments of the marginalised in the UN ("Cause with a Difference", December 15), in India itself, there is a small and neglected section of people-the Dalit Christians-who are discriminated against on the basis of religion. Both the Indian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the UN give everyone the right to profess a religion of their choice. The Dalit Christians expect the prime minister to show that he practises what he preaches.

Eluru, Andhra Pradesh S. KATTACKAL

KASHMIR'S NO DIFFERENT

The Kashmir problem ("Why Rao's Package Is a Sham", November 30) can only be solved if Article 370 of the Constitution is abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir is treated like any other state of the country. There is no way out of the impasse if this benighted state continues to receive a 'foreign' treatment.

Dhenkanal, Orissa DHANANJAYPATRO

The only solution lies in recognising corruption and political adventurism as the main problems of Kashmir. An all-party consensus on Kashmir, followed by elections, should be the starting point.

Bikaner MANISHSINGH

The Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through plebiscite or by returning to the pre-1953 position, because if these are allowed in Kashmir, other states may also start demanding the same.

Vadodara SIDHARTHAVOHRA

It is shameful that even after 48 years of Independence, the Indian Government has not been able to resolve the Kashmir problem. It has missed many opportunities to scrap Article 370. The people of Kashmir may oppose the Government, but this hasn't prevented them from enjoying the privileges that an Indian citizen is entitled to.

Madras N. BALACHANDAR

The pre-1953 position in Kashmir is too dangerous to be acceptable. Its implementation would be misconstrued as weakness on India's part and would give Pakistan further incentive to spread its terrorist activities throughout the region.

Jharipani, UP S.C. MOHENDRU

LOOKING AHEAD

There is no point in going back to the 1953 or 1975 position regarding Kashmir ("Resounding Rebuff", November 30). It would be better for India to negotiate with all sides. It should also delink Ladakh and Jammu from the Valley, and then grant it maximum autonomy for a period of 25 years, after which a referendum can be held. Adequate steps to safeguard the interests of the Kashmiri Pandits should also be taken. This might, perhaps, bring peace to the troubled state.

Coimbatore V.R. SRIDHARAN

The Election Commission's decision postponing the Jammu and Kashmir elections may have dismayed the Congress(I), but the move is justified. The basic issue in Kashmir is not the holding of elections, but holding "free and fair" elections without any fear, be it of the terrorists' gun or the Government's. The first priority should be to make conditions in the Valley conducive for polls.

Motihari, Bihar AMITALOK

Considering the myopic perception of the present breed of politicians, it is hardly surprising that Rao is pressing for a quick-fix election in Kashmir.

New Delhi RITWIKSINHA

MEDIA-MADE HYPE

Coming close on the heels of the splash in the leading national dailies, the coverage given to M.F. Husain's series of paintings on Madhuri Dixit by your magazine ("Painter and the Showgirl", November 30) speaks volumes about the media's fascination for 'created realities'. Should the media have given such a warm reception to a painter who catapults a Bombay showgirl to the level of "an icon of Indian womanhood"?

Patna A. VARDHAN

FORMULAS STILL WORK

The success of Rangeela, HAHK, Bombay and DDLJ is not only because they are "different", but also because of their winning combination of good story, enthralling music and impressive performances.

Jabalpur AALOKVIDYARTHI

The film Rangeela has been erroneously compared with HAHK and DDLJ in your magazine ("Goodbye To Formula?", November 30). The film may have been a hit in the metropolitan cities, but in towns and rural areas, it has flopped. It is strange that journalists and film critics have gone overboard in their assessment of this film which has left the rural heart untouched.

New Delhi S.K. JAIN

WINNING EDGE

If the US felt that it was unjust to hold back the F-16s which had already been paid for by Pakistan ("US must acknowledge...", November 30), why did it compel the CIS to renege on its promised sale of cryogenic engines to India? However, India has emerged the winner in the race by indigenously developing the technology required for manufacturing such engines. After this, the US should stop viewing India as a subordinate nation.

Hyderabad R.P. PURKAN

BACK TO BASICS

Cutting down prices and working with a slender margin ("Driven by Competition", November 30) are not the correct marketing tools for effectively fighting competition. The ever-increasing overheads make it unfeasible to cut prices indiscriminately. The problem needs to be solved at the grassroots level by paying more attention to key areas such as manufacturing costs, inventory, quality of raw material, wastage and productivity of the workforce. These can also earn the manufacturers brand loyalty.

Madras P. RAMAKRISHNAN

SPECIAL TREATMENT

One is forced to wonder where g e n-uinely sick people will go if hospital beds are occupied by fugitives from the law ("More 'Unwell' than others", November 15). One way to deal with the medical crises of the so-called VVIPs, which seem to arise simultaneously with their arrests, is for the Government to build state-of-the-art hospitals to avoid "inconveniencing" them in mere special wards. Since money is available aplenty for wedding feasts that even qualify for The Guinness Book of World Records, some of it can perhaps be diverted to special hospitals for the country's "special" prisoners.

Florida, US VINAYTAURO

UNEQUAL LAWS

The granting of bail to Sanjay Dutt ("Still Raising Legal Queries", November 15), when thousands of other accused languish in jails for minor crimes, proves that in India the laws applied to the rich and powerful are different from those for ordinary citizens.

Pune PRASHANTINAMDAR

WORK FOR CHANGE

It is true that labour laws ("Still Far from Ready", November 15) give tremendous leeway to trade unions and prohibit retrenchment, even when it is the only resort left. Also, reservations, especially in promotions, have had a negative impact on the work ethic and environment.

Kanpur DINESHPRASADMISHRA

CONTRIBUTION IGNORED

Dinesh D'Souza ("Blast from the Right", October 31) should realise that without the struggle of African Americans, who he has vehemently criticised in his latest book, Indians would have had to fight harder to get their due in the US.